Rethinking Single-Use Plastic For a Cleaner Tomorrow

The Flipflopi Project is proud to partner with ALN Kenya | Anjarwalla and Khanna (A&K) a leading corporate law firm in Kenya. Together we are working to introduce legislation to tackle plastic pollution on a large scale.

Today, we sit down with Karim S. Anjarwalla, managing partner of A&K.

What led A&K to support The Flipflopi Project?

At A&K, we are very deliberate about leveraging our unique position as a full-service law firm and our pan African reach - through the ALN network - to transform our continent for the better. We are taking tangible steps to do this by making legislative contributions to positive social and environmental changes to promote the rule of law by developing strong links with the communities in which we work.

We embraced the idea of supporting the Flipflopi project because it provides a platform to spark and encourage conversation around the dangers of single-use plastic on our environment. Their objective to inspire communities to find and encourage ways to repurpose ‘already-used’ plastic, from Kenya to the world is a vision we can get behind.

To this, the skills of our lawyers can make a crucial difference to organisations on the ground that deal with social priorities. Thus through our dedication to pro bono work, we believe we can help The Flipflopi project achieve their goals.

What has been the highlight of your work so far?

A&K has supported The Flipflopi Project since its inception in several ways, including the provision of pro bono legal assistance and supporting certain of its activities.

A&K is currently advising The Flipflopi project in a number of ways:

The legislative process in the East African Community (EAC)
The introduction of a legislative framework to ban the use of single-use plastics in the EAC.
Drafting a single-use plastics bill that will be presented before the EAC Legislative Assembly for consideration.

A&K’s assistance on this pro bono matter highlights our interest in supporting organisations that seek to promote environmental conservation.

This year, we look forward to joining the #PlasticRevolution and supporting its related activities as the Flipflopi boat takes its colourful message in the fight against the rising tide of single-use plastic pollution to the shores of Lake Victoria.

Which positive social and environmental changes do you hope will result from your partnership with The Flipflopi Project?

We believe our partnership with The Flipflopi Project will increase public awareness on the impact of plastic pollution as a means to change people’s daily habits by eliminating and reducing waste from single-use plastic products.

We also hope that in due course, various EAC states will adopt and enforce legislation to ban the use of single-use plastic. We anticipate this an opportunity for various local governments to save money currently being spent on cleaning up plastic clogged towns and water bodies allowing them to direct funds elsewhere and ultimately have cleaner, more beautiful spaces for people to live in.

In time, we hope this initiative can gain global momentum.

How has The Flipflopi Project inspired you to integrate sustainability into your strategic and operational decisions?

The Flipflopi project has inspired A&K to significantly reduce its own use of single-use plastic.

Sorted plastic waste at our Diani recycling centre.

One such measure is replacing single-use plastic with reusable glass and aluminium/steel bottles and containers for our client meetings and events. We also offer lunch to our staff, which reduces their reliance on meals provided by food vendors who typically use single-use plastic packaging.

Additionally, seeing as face masks are an effective tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19, one of the best ways to reduce our waste and protect our staff and clients is by providing and encouraging the wearing of reusable cloth masks - a safe and stylish solution to plastic pollution.

The firm has also placed waste bins strategically within the office premises to collect and safely dispose of single-use masks and gloves which would otherwise find their way in landfills or simply be littered on the streets.

What opportunities exist for legal firms to contribute to the conservation sector?

Legal firms can contribute to the conservation sector by offering their expertise and assistance to social enterprises and non-profit organisations that are working towards advancing a more sustainable world, such as the Flipflopi Project. They can also inspire their own people and communities through the power of their action.

About Anjarwalla & Khanna

Anjarwalla & Khanna (A&K) is the largest corporate law firm in Eastern Africa and is generally considered the leading full-service corporate law firm in Kenya. A&K is the founding member of ALN, Africa’s widest and most integrated legal alliance of independent top-tier law firms.

Find out more at https://www.africalegalnetwork.com/kenya/

Click the image to add your name to the petition to ban single-use plastics in East Africa.